I love a bargain, or trying to create something out of nothing (something I picked up from my thrifty mother).
I have my chickens and my kitchen garden, both of these provide produce for my love of cooking.
Basically, if you can sew it, make, grow it or cook it you have come to the right place.
Follow me on my sewing/growing/cooking and making adventures together with some of life’s daily trials and tribulations.

About Me

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Meet Monti & Free Knitting pattern

Hi everyone

I hope you are all well. Yet again I have something else to occupy my time and I'd like to introduce you to Monti our handsome 11 week old Italian Spinone brown roan puppy.

I haven't had a dog for almost 14 years due to my work commitments so this is a lovely addition to our growing menage . The house sits in four acres of land, and we overlook the river and I would often look out of our windows and see people walking their dogs and I would yearn for another dog.

Work travel has reduced to just a handful of 2-3 day trips which means I was in a position to think about another dog.

This is a breed that I have admired for almost 25 years and I am delighted that my darling Mike agreed to us getting him, so dear readers watch this space and see how he grows up.

I still haven't done any sewing, and indeed I was meant to join my lovely sewing friends in Canterbury at the weekend for the day, but sadly I have been laid low with flu like symptoms and just couldn't face the 3+ hour drive, but caught up on their fun via Sigrid's blog.

I have been knitting when I can, and this is the pattern below which was a free download that you can find here. I am using a nice Aran yarn, and when I started this project I couldn't buy the exact wool shown in the photo, so instead I decided to go with a mottled brown colour as you can see in the picture below, but I have now obtained the exact same colour to use at a later date.

I have finished the back, and am 3/4 way through the front, so hopefully I'll be able to wear it by Christmas.

This is only part of a complete outfit I want to make - I saw a wonderful ensemble put together in a magazine - brown skinny leg trousers, blue floral blouse, the brown aran cable knit jumper all finished off with some lovely brown brogue shoes. I have the shoes, so I just need to keep going with all the other items.

So that is all my news, I hope your sewing/knitting/crafting is going great and you are getting ready for Christmas. I have been buying my presents early so am 80% ready for Xmas.

lovely breed should work well with all the other animals/birds . I could not make Canterbury also so maybe next year ,the knitting is great I prefer Arans in different colours.... pale blue looks great as well

It was such a pity you couldn't join us last Saturday. Next time for sure!!Look forward to meeting Monti some day and your jumber is impressive. I made one like this very many years ago and am still sad that at some point I let it go. Perhaps a good idea to make one again.